Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-01-15
- NARTINsBURG, W SATURDAY, JAN. 1887.
Of our community who neither have

hot uoPC lUI pfdJCo vi uOuUfy VI pAOt-
it, should lend themselves to such
scheme. That we should allow our
selves to be made instruments to be
welded for that purpose; that we
should as the history of our country
has often verified, shut our eyes to
the vital interests of the nation, in
order to promote the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
of a few men, is really astonishing.
Science and art have advanced so
rapidly during the past half century
that man himself can hardly keep
apaee with the times. With our
telegraphs and our telephones, the
whole worle world is converted into
a mere neighborhood, and today a
SPECTATOR can sitin his Office in Liv.
erpool, and in a few hours can as
certain the price of cargo of grain
in India, Australia OF America, and
wherever he can purchase to his best
advantage, he does so irrespective
Of free trade or protective tariff,
caring little who it may injure so he
floats on the silverv wave of success.
Our millers and grain merchants,
co operate together and fix the price
Of grain for the farmer. The butch
ers are not far behind their neigh
Dor grain merchants IN cooperating
and saying what shall be the price
of cattle; and even the merchants OF
our county seat have the telephone
system to such perfection that they
can cooperate together and say what
they will give the farmer for a pound
of butter. or charge him for yard
of calico. Ii every other industry
and profession by operation, can
thus act to their own and each 9TH
er's advantage why not the farmer?
1t a farmer can purchase through
the grange sewing machine for
$4,000 that an agent asks hun $40
90 for 1t; if farmer can purchase
through this organization what he
needs from sewing needle up to a
steam engine at greatly reduced
rates, is it not to his advantage to
become a granger and thus cooper
ate ? Not speaking ofthe education
he receives on the 101 subjects ger
main to his advancement. Return
ing to the advancement made by
man during the past half century in
the way OF inventions, it becomes
fact as clear to the mind, as the suns
rays of Heaven are to the eye, that
the result of all intentions is to get
machinery to take the place of la
Dor; thus throwing out of employ
ment thousands of laborers. These
men and their families form large
portion OF the great mass of consu-
mers Of the products of the farm.
Machinery on the other hand con-
sumes none of the farmers produce.
With these unyarnished facts, star
ing the farmer and laborer in the face,
is it not time they should cooperate
by becoming Knights of Labor and
Patrons of Husbandry.
The trouble with the farmer, is,
that like an:old bachelor, he has so
lived in a state of isolation; he has
so often been cheated and swindled
out of his hard earnings; he has
become so accustomed TO taking
what the rest of the world see prop.
er to give him for his produce, and
in paying whatever they choose to
ask him for their wares, that like the
Isralites of old under Egyptian bond
age he is slow to throw off the chains
of servitude.
1t is high time that the farmer and
laborershake off the Rip Van Wrinkle
sleep they have slept for years.
Arouse from their lethargy and be-
gin the work OF cooperation; thus
placing ourselves upon an equal foot
ing with the different corporations
and monopolies of the land. Ever
remembering in union there is pow
er, or as the gentleman who had a
little more Christmas than he could
manage to stand up under, but get
ting hold of lamp post, remarked,
"united we stand, divided we fall"